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I finally got the 5 zip files downloaded after more than 6 hours. Tomorrow I can start listen to them.

Quote:

Originally posted by TX-Dennis:Parts of this sound almost as though you have an extra hand. [/b]

When I first read the score, I said "this is impossible, I need to have 3 hands to play this". Well, no extra hand. The left hand plays the left hand accompaniment part, the right hand plays the right hand accompaniment part, and both hands pitch in a finger or 2, interlace, and whatever you can do for the melody part. But make it sings!

Before I share my comments, let me just say "Thank You!" for your very kind reviews of my rendition of "Silent Night." It's great to participate and earn my red dot.

On to the reviews ...

1. Super-Hunky, that was Super-Enjoyable! I really find it amazing that you can tackle pieces the way you do, but it certainly does work out well. By the way, I don’t think you owe anything to your Super-Mistakes Fund.

2. dannylux (Mel) - I loved the joy of your selected music — It’s got rather a sense of humor, doesn’t it? — although I suspect that you might have been feeling something other than joyful at the prospect of making it through the recording in one piece. You did, though, and good job!

3. StephenC - The more I hear of Brickman’s music, the more I like it. “Freedom” is a beautiful work, and your playing is a real pleasure.

4. Peyton - Your arrangement of “Silent Night” is absolutely beautiful. If you ever transcribe that, I’d love the sheet music. Not that I’ll be able to play it anytime soon!

5. J_McClellan - I quite enjoyed your playing. And don’t worry about the poor recording. Lots of us have that problem. Good luck at your recital!

6. Ragnhild - Very enjoyable, thanks! I thought the piece was just fine for a holiday recital. No need for everyone to do Christmas music.

7. Icekid - Lovely. You chose a really enjoyable piece, and I loved listening to you play it. Smooth and delightful.

8. Piano again - Very nice job. You’re working through the WTC? My eyes cross at the thought. Of course, I’m still learning music with the BIG notes, you know?

9. Euan - I don’t mind at all hearing a somber piece amidst all the festive ones, particularly when it is as beautiful as that one. (I'm convinced. Einaudi is a genius.) And your playing is very fine and expressive.

10. Frycek (Nancy) - I enjoyed your performance of this intriguing piece! Thanks for your notes on the recital thread; when you first started playing, I was very surprised by the music's decidedly un-lullaby’ish qualities.

11. Kawaigirl1 - You’re one of the people here who is making me fall in love with Einaudi’s compositions. That is a terrific piece — absolutely haunting — and your playing is really up to it.

12. Rockpeter - Very nice. That’s a lovely piece of music and you play it beautifully. I would really like to hear it with orchestra and strings as you mentioned, if you ever feeling like recording it that way for us.

13. Monica - Your piece is lovely, from those delicate opening notes right through to the end. The "The Holly and the Ivy" is one of my favorite carols, so this was a real treat for me.

14. dh (Deborah) - Good grief, woman, what are you doing to that piano? NEXT!

15. loveschopintoomuch (Kathleen) - My dear, it’s better to hear a bad recording of you playing beautifully than to not hear you play at all, so I’m glad you sent this in despite the technical woes.

16. Copper - I quite enjoyed your “simple music for a simple pianist.” There’s a lot to be said for the traditional carols. Your choice was perfect for getting me in the mood for the holidays, thanks!

17. mahlzeit - What a surprising — and affecting — take on a holiday classic. Your playing is wonderful and your arrangement is simply stunning. Thank you so much for the sheet music. It's at the very top of my "Music I Really, Really Want To Play Some Day" stack.

18. Sandy - That is an achingly beautiful arrangement of a song that was lovely to start. And your playing is wonderful from where I sit!

19. rocky - "Let There Be Peace on Earth" is an lovely song, and it was a pleasure to see (hear) it played here. You did a nice job with it, too.

20. PootieTooGood (Tarik) — I really liked the piece you chose; it has a lovely dreamy quality about it. Your performance is quite enjoyable, very deftly played. Also, you win the "Wildly Optimistic Pianist" Award for having selected the longest piece. Congrats on having pulled it off!

Well, here are my comments so far. I want to say that you have all done a magnificant job and you should be so proud of the wonderful music that's collected here.

Bob, as always, hats off to you!

Mr. Super-Hunky[/b] wonderful! I really enjoyed your rendition of this (one of my Christmas favs) You have the perfect “lounge” touch! And I esp like the glissando at the end. (is that a glissando?)

Mel[/b] I’ve never heard of Levitzki, but I love the “gypsy” feel of this piece, and your dramatic flair! Is it the bass line that’s jumping around? I like the path it travels. Is it just me, or would this piece go nicely with the Croatian Rhapsody?

StephenC[/b] Your lovely rendition reminded me that I need listen to more Brickman music, I hardly know any of his pieces. Thank you for sharing this, it’s so relaxing and soothing! Wonderful job.

Peyton[/b] Your own arrangement, considering that you “haven’t the faintest idea how to play this piece,” works for me! If I may add one piece of feedback, it would be to either bring out the melody more, or change your recording method (perhaps mic placement?) so that the upper register is more prominent.

Ragnhild[/b] I have been working on Inventions with a teacher, so I really respect your ability to tackle WTC on your own! Very nice, thank you for sharing!

Icekid[/b] you’ve got me all ready for Christmas! I never associated this with Vince Guaraldi, but that may just be me. Either way I really enjoyed your rendition!

Piano again[/b] I really enjoyed your Bach! Very inspiring, listening to you makes me want to hurry up and finish Inventions (though hurry up is never an expression that goes well when talking about practicing Bach.)

Euan[/b] Un Mondo a parte, A world away, very beautiful! I haven’t heard the original, but I love how it is piano-only. Perhaps it’s not very festive, but it makes me think of a snowy forest at dusk, when the snow has stopped falling, there’s no wind, and the last remaining light of the day is caught up in the snow, which glows a kind of white-blue. Your rendition took me a world away…

Frycek[/b] I think I said this before, but this piece and your performance of it are really wonderful! It sounds to me like a lullaby for adults, just what I want to hear after a long day.

Kawaigirl[/b] Yea, more Einaudi! Your rendition is really wonderful. Do you know what In un'altra vita means? I think I know what you mean in saying that this piece is not as simple as it might sound, listening to it with the thought of playing it, I can hear that it would be challenging, but you make it sound easy.

Rockpeter[/b] I’ve always been curious about Uematsu’s music (since he’s quite famous here of course) but I’ve never really heard much of his music, so thank you for sharing your lovely rendition. I actually have a collection of FF sheet music even though I don’t know any of the music, I’ll have to see if this is in it. BTW your ending sounded perfectly natural.

Monica[/b] as always, wonderful! Wonderful selection, wonderful performance! I have heard a few different solo piano versions of this, and this one that you’ve chosen is really nice. Your recording sounds very nice as well, I’ll have to start reading more about those H4 thingies.

Kathleen[/b] I’m sorry your recording isn’t better because it’s sounds like you’re playing this very nicely. And your ending is just right. Many times, many ways, Merry Christmas to you too! jingle bells, jingle bells…

Copper[/b] sounds very good, you have this piece in a very good place, just in time for Christmas! If I may give you some feedback, my advice would be the following: go through and listen to your recording and sing along with yourself. Hear where you want to take a breath, and which lyrics you’d like to make sing out. This will show you which places you might want to pause (add a breath) in your playing. The other thing I would suggest is to focus on having a more even tempo throughout, you don’t need to speed up, but try not to rush through notes that you could hold for their full value.

Mahlzeit[/b] I love this! Wonderful! If Victor played a Christmas song in “The Corpse Bride” this is what he would play! The difference between the first half and the second half is also quite nice. Did you say you’ve only been playing about a year? I’m just going to pretend I don’t know that, so I can avoid turning green with envy!

Sandy[/b] very nice arrangement, and you play it wonderfully! I don’t think you’re playing it too slowly, but I imagine you’ll naturally speed up the more you play it. Also you may put it away at the end of the holiday season this year, then when you come back to it an re-learn it, you may wind up with yet a different tempo. It sounds like it would work well at a variety of tempos.

Rocky[/b] very nice! You are all making me cry with all these nostalgic favorites!

Tarik[/b] I’m sorry your recording isn’t better, because there’s a lot to like about your playing! Fortunately, the recording is good enough to give us a taste of that.

Patty[/b] I think this was in the first score book I ever bought (along with the Romeo & Juliet theme) and I remember playing it when I first started, so your recording is leaving me a misty-eyed over here. You have made a wonderful contribution to the ABForum!

Mike White[/b] I used to sing this song with my grandma and my mother. Can you hand me a tissue please?

Nighteyes[/b] 6 months? Wow! And a wonderful rendition of this lovely Prelude. Your tempo is nice too, I don’t like it too fast. Thank you for sharing this!

Balladeer[/b] yours is the last straw, I can’t turn off the waterworks over here. Especially since I won’t be home for Christmas this year but only in my dreams…

Nancy[/b] I think your recital is going to go very well, your performance of this piece is really lovely! I think my giving you feedback is a little bit out of line since I can’t play this piece myself, but I’ll just share my thoughts and you can do with them as you please. I really like how you present the music approaching the 3-minute mark and on through to the end. The only thing I thought was I would like a little more drama in the first half, or not drama… what the word? I would like to hear you spend a little more breath on each note… maybe to slow it down just a tad, esp in the first minute. But this is just about interpretation, not your playing, and I think both your interpretation and playing are wonderful, so you should probably just ignore my comments! :p

Well, I had hoped to listen to and comment on all the recordings, but I need to get off here so I can practice my own music!

Everyone so far has been wonderful and inspiring, and I deeply regret that I couldn’t make the time to get a recording of my own to add to this group, it would have been an honor to be a part of this recital, I think it must be the best so far!

I should be working but I'm listening to the recital....shhh.... the first half..

01. S-H Christmastime is here.I'm still amazed at your ability to improvise. You're a natural. This is lovely. No one would ever believe that you've been playing for such a short time.

02. dannylux - Valse Tzigane.Sounds light and fun and also very difficult. I really enjoyed it but wouldn't want to attempt it! Great job!

03. Stephenc - Freedom.

I love this piece! You're right about how we should all feel. It really feels peacefull. I haven't played any Jim Brickman yet. This makes me want to try. Great job.

04. Peyton Higgison Silent Night.You are obviously so comfortable with your piano and making music! I could never do this. I did lose the melody often but it sounded wonderful anyway and I loved the piece all the same!

05. J_McClellan - Bach largo piece. You've done a great job voicing the melody. Good luck with your recital - you sound well in control of this piece!

06 Ragnhild - Bach: Prelude WTC II, no 12 F. Great job! It's been awhile since I learned a Bach piece. Time to try again! The last one was 45 sec long and took me three months! How long did this take?

07. Icekid767 (Hawk)Loved this. It will be on my ABF Christmas CD!

08. Piano againWow. Lots of Bach this recital. I have the recording of the first one and didn't think anyone could really play it that fast!! You did and very well! I did prefer the second one - I'm not a fan of all the trills I think.

09. Euan Morrison - Un Mondo a Parte. Maybe not festive but certainly peaceful! This is a wonderful piece and you played it with a lot of feeling.

10. Frycek - Lulajze Jezuniu. Thanks for the great intro to this piece! The loud section were very loud on my player but I really enjoyed your playing. I hadn't heard this piece before.

11. Kawaigirl1 - In un'altra vita. This sounds very professional. You have great control and timing. It's something that my teacher is constantly telling me "the listener will hear..." well the listener loved this! I can hear so well what he's been preachng to me!

First thanks to Bob Muir for his efforts (and anyone else who helped put this together.

Next, thanks to you all for the music, the experience and the interaction. This is great fun and a very positive thing for us all to be involved in.

S-H ..... Simply your best. Period! I hear "new tendencies" in your playing - and your variety of sound has increased measureably. This is very texturally rich - I could go on, but I'm worried about your head.

Now that I've been through the pieces a couple more times, I thought I would add my comments. All in all, I really enjoyed the recital. I'm glad this forum is around:

1)Mr Super Hunky: I really like the chords in this piece. Even though I'm a classical junky, I wish I had a piece or two like this to have for those late nights when people are around and I could just work through it in the background.

2)DannyLux: I love the sound of this piece. I'm looking it up now to see if I can work on this on the side.

3)StephanC: I think this works for a Holiday recital. I like the sound of the Roland, and you have the dynamics just right for the piece.

4)Peyton Higgison: Very nice arrangement. I like the jazz section in the second part. Makes me want to hit the scales more often to get this kind of sound.

5)J_McClellan: Dear god man, pick something other than Bach. You've been in 2 recitals and you seem to be stuck. Move on. There are more composers out there. Plus, buy a microphone. We want to hear what the piano really sounds like.

6)Ragnhild: I always like Bach but I always hear items from Book I. Glad to hear something from Book II. And without a teacher? Very nice.

7)Icekid767 (Hawk): You have the technique of someone who has played for quite awhile. I love the turns in this piece. Again...now I have to go practice more.

8)Piano again: I had to go back to your direct link to get the Prelude of this one. This is great that you played both, and your 4th pair at that. This is one of my goals in the future also, I'm just not there yet. Very nice.

9)Euan Morrison: I love the sound of this piece. Your choice of soundfont was perfect.

10)Frycek: I always like Chopin when I'm in a mood. Good selection. Nice.

11) Kawaigirl1: This piece almost has 3 voices going. I'm sure it is alot harder than it sounds. I've had this one on repeat once or twice over the last few days.

12)Rockpeter (Peter): I like the mood of this piece. The middle theme comes very close to a silent night.

13)Monica Kern: I really liked listening to this piece. This is a nice arrangement of the song.

14)dh (Deborah): Short and sweet and nice place to start. Welcome to your first trip out.

15)loveschopintoomuch (Kathleen): Very nice playing. And this is still one of my favorite Christmas songs. I'm going to learn this for next year.

16)Copper: Handel played for Christmas. We won't dispute the arguments of whether he wrote it or not...he wrote parts. But, well played.

17)mahlzeit: I love this arrangement. Almost makes me wish that Department stores, when they start their Christmas stuff so early in the year, would use arrangements like this. Christmas on Halloween. Nice.

18)Sandy Moore: I do not think you are playing this mechnically. Sometimes a piece like this needs to stay closer to tempo and let the chords do the moving for you. I think you have found good match here.

19)rocky: I like this song. Smooth and just the right touch.

20)PootieTooGood (Tarik): I want to hear this again if you get the recording items squared away. We don't hear enough of Brahms around here. And, it sounds like you have a very nice and have this down.

21)Patty39: I used to hear this all of the time and now I think back and haven't heard it for years. I like that you brought this back. You did very well.

22)YamahaG3&P-80 (Mike White): Ok, you've got some experience at this and it shows in this recording. I only wish I had this technique. Again, more practice for me.

23)Nighteyes: I played this for the second recital. You have me beat. But, as you said, the nice thing about this piece is that no 2 people seem to play it the same way. You are left on your own to see where it takes you. I liked it.

24)Monster M&H, (Les): I like the sound of this older piano, but I'm bias. I've listen to this one a few times now. A jazz touch that I would kill for.

25)Balladeer: I'm shocked sometimes at what the PM people can do with chords. I really liked this.

26)NancyM333: This is one of the works I have down in the future to cover. I probably have a year or two before I can reach it. You should be ready for your recital. Nice. I always like how it changes mood right in the middle.

27)TX-Dennis (Dennis Turner): I liked the sound of this recording. You played well. I liked it.

28)Bluemarine: Nice selection with the Russian selection. I had never heard of this composer before. I need to take a closer look. I'll keep this recording around for awhile.

29)AdagioM (Michele): I'm glad you decided to submit. This was nice and smooth. Very nice putting this together at the last minute.

30)Serge88: Bach again (what is the count on Bach vs. Chopin around here?). I still like how everyone does this piece just a little bit different. Good job.

31)Mountain Ash: You had the first selection down. Steady rhythm in the second. Nice.

32)Seaside_Lee: I love this song. Especially if you find all of the lyrics. Your changeup in the middle works perfect.

33)funburger: I enjoyed this video. I don't think I could play in the hat and cape. This is one song which almost needs a keyboard or very large organ to make it work. You had the sound.

34)LisztAddict: Changing things up always works. The changes you made work for this piece. And, I love the sound of your piano.

35)psychopianoman (Allen Clark): From chord sheet? I feel inferior.

36)Pianoga (Pieter): For your first recording you did very well. And being able to do it from ear? Again, I don't know how people do it.

37)BobMuir: First, a big thank you for handling the nitty gritty of the recital. Good job. For the piece, very nice. I liked the end.

38)Opus45 (Jeff): I like the changeup with a piece to go along with Silent Night. The counterpoint works and you did well with this piece.

39)reliv4all (my son Matthew): Matthew is 12? Playing this waltz? Tell him he did great while I go sulk on the number of years I need to catch up.

Firstly, thanks all for the nice comments. I'm glad most of you seem to agree that this slow tempo does well with this piece. As someone commented, it gives the piece a sad feel. I liked it most this way too.

Maryrose, yes I am indeed a Robin Hobb fan. Funny you picked up on that. I liked the Farseer and Fool's trilogy a lot.And my choice of words when I wrote that you guys had to made do with the prelude was maybe not that well chosen, I was just a tad dissappointed I couldn't get the Mozart ready in time. But the remark doesn't do the beautiful piece justice I agree with you.

McClellan, I'd like to hear your version of the prelude if you still have a link around. I tried the one in the #2 recital but it didn't work. And while I can't say that I'm not flattered about you saying I have you beat... I doubt if that's the case and more importantly besides the point, we seem to agree that this piece is quite prone to different interpretations and I'd like to hear yours! (I find other ABF member's interpretations more interesting than professional recordings so I'm very curious to hear pieces I have played myself.)

Next post I'll post some comments on the pieces, I listened to most a few times by now, and it has become a very pleasant collection of piano music I must say! I burned them to a cd and have it playing in the stereo installation also. Nice job all, and I'm quite proud to have been a part of this.

Thank you all for the kind comments... it’s quite intimidating posting simple pieces against a backdrop of such wonderful performances.

1. Mr_Super-Hunkey – I see you’ve finally got the acoustic recording thing worked out. You obviously have wonderful improvisation skills to make such a nice recording from limited practice. Oh and nice sustain on that piano.

2. dannylux – what a charming little piece, that jumping base makes the piece sound alive. Your recording was very consistent and well metered.

3. Stephenc – this music was so soulful and played very well. One of my favourites.

4. Peyton – it was nice to listen to your arrangement of silent night. Very well done.

5. J_McClellan – not bad for the internal mic of your computer! Judging by this, your recital will be fine.

6. Ragnhild – I love a bit of Bach, especially when well played like this.

7. Icekid767 – more Christmas spirit, and well played. I especially liked the crazy arpeggio ending.

8. Piano again – sounds polished to me. Played at a nice tempo too!

9. Euan Morrison – some people can’t be with their families at Christmas so your song is entirely appropriate. Well done.

10. Frycek – the “anxiety” came through very clearly, brought alive by your expert playing. It was refreshing to hear a Chopin piece I had not come across before.

Wow, First of all I want to give thanks to all the encouraging feedbacks. I also want to applaude everyone who had participated in this recital and sharing all the wonderful music. Special thanks to Bob for putting all this together.

S-H: First of all, very nice sounding piano. Now I know what people mean by the M&H having a powerful bass. I agree with most people's comment here saying that this is one of your best improvised piece. That was lovely!

Mel: After listening to your rendition of that piece, it seemed like you never stopped playing for 15 years. Very nice rhythmic piece and you played the trills very well. You should be classified as a pro.

Stephenc: That was a very tranquille piece. After listening to your rendition of the piece, I would like to learn to play it.

Peyton: Great improvisation of Silent Night.

J Mcclellan: What an emotional piece. Well done.

Ragnhild: Well played. I thought you had expressed the piece very well.

Piano Again: I thought your piece was very polished. Loved those trills too.

Euan: You played this piece with such emotions and feelings that I think you did Einaudi proud. This is such a beautiful piece. Now I'm tempted to learn this piece.

Frycek: Very nice. I love to listen to anything by chopin. I thought you had brought out the melody nicely.

Kawaigirl1: Hmmmm......well the playing could have been smoother.

Rockpeter: Enjoyed your rendition of this piece even though the phone rang...but you played the piece very well and you didn't try to hurry the piece.

Monica: I've always enjoy lsitening to you play. It's been such a long time since I heard this piece. You played it beautifully. That Zoom H4 digital recorder produces such clear sound which makes the listening that much more enjoyable.

MonsterM&H: I have not heard of Kolltveit (my fault, probably) I live north of Stavanger.I like jazz, so I like your playing, I am not good at playing anything more mothern than Grieg, working on it.. You seem a little bit shy in the beginning but then it's only getting better..

As a typical Norwegian I am still longing for the critics, though Ragnhild [/b]

Of Norwegian desent here, glad to see that I'm not the only one that likes to hear it... Where in Norway? (not that I've ever been there) Last name is Koltvedt, I know of a city named Kolltveit, but don't know if it's my HOME LAND lol

22. Mike White - Silver Bells. I enjoyed the variations you used on this piece. Do you play it the same every time or "where ever your mood takes it" People who can do this amaze me!!

23.Nighteyes. Only 6 months!! wow!! I'm really enjoying this piece. I think I'll try this one for my next Bach piece! Thanks for playing it. It was beautiful.

24. Monster M&H, (Les) Must have been the Mistletoe. I bet your wife swoons! I really enjoyed listening and will again and again...

25. Balladeer - I'll be home for Christmas. This is such a nice arrangement. I've listened to it a few times now and forget that it's an ABF recording!! Awesome!

26. NancyM333. couldn't download. willtry again from home.

27. TX-Dennis (Dennis Turner). Mary did you know. My all time favourite Christmas song. Thanks! I loved it! I didn't find the quality too bad but I can see what you mean - maybe a little "sharp." (the playing was great!) I'd love to have this again for my CD. If you record it again, can you post it in December Piano. Or you can PM me with it! p.s. Where is the sheet music from? I'd love to start learning this piece and maybe have it ready for next year! Ok.. on to the next. I've listened to this 4 times already!

28. BluemarineFairy Tale "Yolka" (The Christmas Tree) Very nice! I hadn't heard this before and am reallly enjoying it. It sounds quite difficult and you sound like you have been playing for more than 4 years! Awesome!

29. AdagioM (Michele) Dedication. This is really nice! Quite peaceful. Your playing is so gentle and steady. I loved it!

30. Serge88Prelude in C, Bach. More Bach!! Nice! I haven't listened to it in a while but I think my recording of this has a bunch trills. I like it much better without them! Great job!

31. Mountain Ash. These two little pieces were great. I don't think I was playing with both hands after that much time. Your timing sounds really even too. Good job!

32. Seaside_LeeWhite Christmas. This is wonderful! And by ear! Amazing. I just don't get it!.. You really don't learn how to do this studying classical music....

33. funburger - Dance of the Candy Fairy. It sounds fun! I really liked it and you look and sound like you've been playing longer than 9 months!! Great!

34. LisztAddict. Ava Maria. Rats...Have to download later.

35. psychopianoman Silent Night. Nice! I've been attempting playing from lead sheets and while it's fun, it's not that easy.. You did a great job!

Originally posted by Sandy Moore:27. TX-Dennis (Dennis Turner). Mary did you know. My all time favourite Christmas song. Thanks! I loved it! I didn't find the quality too bad but I can see what you mean - maybe a little "sharp." (the playing was great!) I'd love to have this again for my CD. If you record it again, can you post it in December Piano. Or you can PM me with it! p.s. Where is the sheet music from? I'd love to start learning this piece and maybe have it ready for next year! [/b]

Dennis[/b] your recording definitely does not suck! I think you’ve done a lovely job! Your rendition is very soothing, and there’s a nice flow throughout and wonderful ease into the ending. Getting used to recording and dealing with that extra nervousness just takes time, and repetition. The more you record, the more comfortable you will be and then closer your recordings will get to your actually playing ability. So keep up the great work!

Bluemarine[/b] I don’t know this composer or his work, but I really enjoyed your rendition of the Christmas Tree Waltz. I like how the beginning doesn’t sound like a waltz and then it moves nicely into a more traditional sounding dance-waltz, and then back the theme from the beginning. You handle all those transitions really nicely. Thanks for sharing!

AdagioM[/b] what a lovely piece, played wonderfully! Glad you decided to send this in, I enjoyed listening to it. I sure wish I could whip something up so nicely!

Serge88[/b] thank you for sharing your version of this wonderful prelude. I never lose interest in this one. I think you did a very nice job. If I may be so bold as to give you a little advice, it would be maintain a more even tempo throughout, and make sure that the notes receive their proper values. Don’t rush through any sections or groups of notes, I like to think of it as “cherishing” each note (but that’s just the weird way I think.)

Mountain Ash[/b] is this your first recording, or first submission to an online recital? Welcome and congratulations! It sounds like you’re having fun, and I look forward to hearing more successful recordings from you!

Seaside Lee[/b] you’ve got me dreaming too! Very nice, as always! Glad you made it in time to share this with us. I esp like the way you changed the style (? for lack of a better way to put it) a little more than halfway through, I actually would have liked to hear more of that part, but the beginning, with all your lovely flourishes, was also great!

Funburger[/b] wow, vibraphone setting! I can’t think of a better piece for that sound than this one! What fun! The only feedback I would give you is to slow down to the most comfortable tempo you can maintain, and then play that tempo throughout rather than having a few sections that are faster than others. BTW I always thought this piece was “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” not Candy Fairy? Is there a difference?

LisztAddict[/b] I really enjoyed your Ave Maria! I don’t have a score to check, so I couldn’t tell that you made any changes. It sounds wonderful! I have always preferred the other Ave Maria (the Bach-Gonoud one, is that right?) but your recording has made a fan of me and now I want to play this one! I bet it’s too hard for me though. Sigh.

Psychopianoman[/b] I was going to ask you where you got the sheet music from, until I read your comments! What’s a stuffed octave? (I don’t know, but I’d almost like to change my user name to that!) So, is it accurate to say that you played this by ear/improvised it, since you used a chord sheet? If that’s right, well, that’s just fantastic. It’s fantastic even if that’s not the right way to put it! (If nothing else, it’s your own arrangement, right?) I really liked the intro a lot, the only thing I thought was that a little more “drawn out” ending might be nice. Of course, maybe I only thought that because I wanted to hear more of your playing! And esp the second half, I really enjoyed what you did with that, and your transition into that was really nice! Also, you said it’s not meant to be sung along to, but you really make the melody sing, so that gives it a wonderful feel. Hmm, so there’s no sheet music for this…. Could you make some? I would love to play this the way you do. BTW help an ear-less ABFer out, what key are you playing in?

Pianoga[/b] I had to laugh at the title that comes up when your recording plays in Windows Media Player! But then I had to shut and stop laughing so I could hear your lovely recording. So is this your first time to participate in an online recital? Bravo! Wonderful job, and I look forward to hearing more of you in the future.

Bob, [/b] our shining star, I thought your piece would never come up in the cue! Finally (erm, I’m one to talk since I’m not even in the cue this time..) I really enjoyed your “Away in a Manager,” it had a lovely sweetness, and the ending was of course charming! Thank you for sharing this one!

Opus45[/b] well, you have me wanting to play this piece! (Gotta finish my winter concert first though.) Your recording, or more specifically your playing is really wonderful, the tempo is just right and your expression too. Soft without being wish-washy, just right I thought! And the music does stand on its own, but I am taken with the idea of it being performed in unison with Silent Night. On my third listening, I tried to sing along with your recording, I sang “Silent Night” (regular lyrics) Wow, that is wonderful! So, does that mean that this would be a good piece for three hands? As in, one person plays “Night of Silence” and the other person plays just the melody of “Silent Night.” Have you tried to play along with your recording? Maybe you could record the RH for Silent Night and dub it on to this recording (record it as a second track.) I bet that would be really pretty.

Reliv4all[/b] one of my favorite Chopin pieces, and your son does it very nicely! His playing has a nice momentum. I’m jealous of his place after 2 years! Thank you for sharing his recording!

Haizel[/b] What a lovely way to end the recital, perfect for the last piece in a wonderful program! Your playing is very grounded and solid, as I always think this song should be, and your steady, even tempo throughout allows the melody to sing just perfectly in my head. Thank you for adding this treasure to the collection!

Ah, now I am very sad, because the recital is over! Everyone played so beautifully, I can’t express how moved I am. I am going to go to the keyboard and take the inspiration that you all have given me and just try to pour it into my own practice.

27. Love your story of recording for an hour and then finding out it was set to zero. God, how many time I have done that. And how does your sub conscious seem to know it's not recording and allow you to do the best job? :rolleyes: But not to worry, the one you got carries a lot of feeling and is played well.

28. Wow... Very professional sounding. Maybe it was that "big Hall" reverb I loved it!! You played it like you've been playing it all your life.

29. Last minute or not that was a very sweet little piece.

30. Can't get enough of this one. Nicely done. Good recording too.

31. Good work. Yea the sound was a little on the brittle side...but hey, you're just starting out, we can't all sound like Horowitz right out of the gate

32.Ahh, back to the Christmas lounge.. and my danged cigar went out But a little more scotch should make up for that... Nice touch, nice feeling and a great arrangement! Keep those protein shakes comin.

33.Oki-dokie....THAT was different! I'm glad you put it up there on video. Normally (especially on a piano forum) I would have a real problem with the 'sound' of the synth but watching your "dramatic" presentation I laughed out loud. Nice job funburger.

34. Lisztaddict, Dude...I don't even know what to say. You kicked some serious *** I have the music for that and it is TOUGH!

35. I like that left hand treatment. Very new age.. Man you could probably have jammed on that for lot longer eh? Good job!

I want to thank everyone for the very gracious comments and for taking the time to set down their thoughts on the pieces. I know how much time that takes, (time that I unfortunately don't have this week), and I wanted to say how much I appreciate your words.

Peyton, it may take some time (because of my slow 768k upload bandwidth), but it's worth it to download the zip files. All of the recordings have been normalized and MP3 tags annotated. That way you can create a playlist and one piece won't be really soft and then the next really loud.

Peyton, it may take some time (because of my slow 768k upload bandwidth), but it's worth it to download the zip files. All of the recordings have been normalized and MP3 tags annotated. That way you can create a playlist and one piece won't be really soft and then the next really loud.